Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-03-04
FRIDAY EVENING. MARCH =. 1887.
THE PURPOSE OF THE Police JUDGE


The RErUBTIC has. from the commence
mrnt of the agitation of the new police
judge law. maintained that il was demo
cratic scheme. conceived TO assist the MEM
b-rs of that party in retaining control of our
city government. We do not mean by this
that the party. as party, originated the plan,
but that the scheme was concocted by GER
tain leading and prominent democrats. and il
il is now made part Of the party platform.
The evidence is abundant TO sustain such
conclusion. and it aecnmulates as the day
of the election draws nigh. First, We find
thai the bill was discussed and matured
by leading democrats. The two plans:
first, providing for salaried mayor and
police Judge, such aS was agreed upon, and
second. a salaried mayor and a
police commission were fully dis
cassed and the merits of each. aS a
party measure. well digeSted. before the
scheme was at all made public, and when
everything was ready il was presented and
agreed to by a democratic council, and the
city solicitor was instructed 10 draw a bill
publican solicitor having nothing to do with
the bill other than to draw il as instructed.
Now as 10 the reason why the bill. as
passed. was agreed upon in preference To
the non-partisan police commission bill |
The n0n-partisan police commission bill |
such a bill nine-tenths of our people pre-
ferred. was found TO be not well adapted
10 the democratic purpose, that purpose being |
10 obtain and maintain. full and complete
control of our entire city government.
Under the provisions of the law now be-
fore the people. the mayor retains the DO
lice and ire department within his grasp
under the other bill those departments
would be controlled by the non-partisan
commission of two republicans and two
democrats. and taken ont of pol
iIics. The democratic schemers thought
to divert attention from their pur-
pose by declaring a preference for
The bill providing for police commission.
but at the same time, stating that there We're
constitutional impediments in the way of
the passage of such bill. As result of
this. tire bill now under consideration was
a. being preferable to the present
fce system. But there is no con-
s:itutional objection TO police COM
mission bill for Springfield, and il {.
could have been a. easily passed As
the one that WAS passed. The one is as
as the other, but this plea ,
was worked in order to deceive. I
The change from the present system was :
laSirei for the reason that the election of a
democratic mayor is by no means certain I'M
der the present plan. In fact, il was conceded :
that. with good nomination and united h
party, the republicans would elect their
candidate this spring. In an attempt to v
promote the democratic prospects the pres
mt bill was brought forth. 9
The question is asked, How will this Il
'GdanErr republican s1cceSS?' We ;
answered this a few days ago, but the y
,enplt cannot be warned too often. and we y
.uswer again: These cunning democratic :
eaders well understand tnat by increasing a
he number of Offices to be filled they only
Increase the opportunities for the repub- u
ions and thereby endanger the success of
he whole ticket. while in their own case.
Ie greater number of Offices to be filled en-
b!eS them 10 throw little sop TO each
wing of their -prOhibitiOnistS, non lc
artisans. kids and m0ssbackS-by giving
ach a candidate for one OF the several of "
ces. thus strengthening their cause and in -
-easing their chances. on general princ-
les. By the use OF this plan they hope TO oi
.-rv the city and get full control of every al
.partment of our city government. in
pug which they would so thoroughly en- te
anch % themselves that they copId No, h. NJ
,uted. probably foryears.
This is the history of the eii on
igin and purpose of the bill. "
I'd As additional evidence that it is dem- IN
ratio scheme we iud the Jefferson club. Ea
a mouthpiece of democracy, by resolution
,provng the measure and urging its to
.ssa-e; the Transcript. the local DEM vi
ratio organ, doing its best in the same
half. lol m
VIII any republican allow himself to be
ped into supporting the bill? We hope On,
t That they may mislead republicans. the
= democrats state that republican solic- 7
= drew the bill. So he did, as we have b
needed, but at the direction of dem str
attic council. Again, Representative I
Wins and Senator Pringle secured the aga
,sage OF the bill. So they did. but the ia
provides that before being put in force s,n,
must be approved by our people. This dip